UH computer students advance in game-development contest

Three interactive video games developed by University of Houston computer science students have been selected by Microsoft to compete in the U.S. Imagine Cup 2012 Finals this spring, dominating the slots awarded in the fall leg of the contest, according to a UH news release.

Led by Chang Yun, research assistant professor in the department of computer science, one of the groups — Team Zigers — created an Xbox game called Spillville that addresses major oil spills in the ocean. The player commands a fictional organization to clean up the spills. Members are undergraduate students Michael Slater, Chris Gonzales, Sin Ng and Allison Sherrick.

Team Wasabi Ninja, also under Yun, created a game for Windows Phone 7, where the player takes the role of a nanomachine engineered specifically to destroy harmful materials in the water systems of developing countries. Members are graduate students Martin Le and Patipol Paripoonnanonda and undergraduates Jackchalat Chaiyakhom and Josh Riffel.

The group coached by Jose Baez-Franceschi, a game developing instructor, Team Eager Beavers PC, created an educational game dubbed Hydrobot Adventures, featuring a robot capable of restoring all ocean life destroyed by years of pollution. During the game, the player learns about environmental sustainability, and the game brings to mind a vision of what the ocean environment will become in the future if people do not act now. Members are undergraduate Khoa Le and graduate students Hien Nguyen, Sushil Joshi and Debjyoti Majunder.

The theme of the competition was technology solving tough global issues.

“Microsoft picks only six teams in the fall finalist selection, so UH is dominating the finals again,” said Yun.

The students are part of the Interactive Game Development Program in the computer science department.